Lay and pilot guides



May'ZS, 1957 Filed Aug. 31, 1954 G. W. DUNHAM LAY AND PILOT GUIDES .2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

y 1957 e. w. DUNHAM 2,793,658

LAY AND PILOT GUIDES Filed Aug. 31, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.[161M fi/Jkmfiam ,9 7 TO/P/VEY United States Patent LAY AND PILOT GUIDESGeorge W. Dunham, Westport, Conn. Application August 31, 1954, SerialNo. 453,281

6 Claims. (Cl. 139-188 across a loom. In the apparatus of the presentinvention;

the raceway for the pilot is constructed from a plurality of plate-likeguides which have notches providing edges for guiding a pilot and whichconfine the pilot over the expanse of an arc of 180 degrees about thelongitudinal axis of the pilot as it travels across the loom. The guidesare mounted in such a manner that the alignment of the notches can beassured by a finishing process which trues the corresponding edges ofthe various notches in alignment. The guides are mounted on a shaftwhich is carried by the lay assembly and mechanism is provided forrocking the guides between a position directly in front of a reed orother comb-like structure by which a filling thread is heat up and aforward position in which the guides are lowered to below the fell ofthe-cloth and temples of the loom. The guides are moved between thesepositions as the lay is reciprocated. The rocking lay even for a laysupported on long or standard lay swords. The pilot guiding notches inthe guides are so disposed that their openendscome adjacent to the frontplane of the comb-like structure so that the structure provides aguiding plane which together with the edges of 2,793,658 Patented May28, 1957 are of standard length. The lay is a rigid beam which isprovided with a plurality of grooves 12' for accommodating theplate-like guides 13 when these guides move to below the fell of thecloth and the temples 14. A reed 15 is mounted between the lay 10 andthe hand rail 16 which also is attached to the lay swords 11, Apilotprojecting and receiving box 17 is mounted at each end of the layso that these boxes alternately project and receive a pilot 18 whichcarries filling thread 19 lengthwise of the lay and through the shed 20which is formed by manipulating the warps upwardly and downwardly in theusual manner as the lay is reciprocated. Each lay sword is reciprocatedby a connecting rod 21 which is pivoted at its front end to a pin 22carried by the lay sword and is pivoted at its back end to a pin 23carried by a crank 24. The shaft on which the cranks 24 are mounted isdriven from a power source operating through a gear 26. i i g Theplate-like guides 13 may be stamped or cut from a durable sheet materialsuch as steel and are finished to provide the notches 27 and theperforations 28. The

guides are formed as goose necks to properly locate the notches and toclear the bottom rail of the reed when they approach the reed, as willappear more fully hereinafter. The notches 27 are located at the upperends of the guides and open rearwardly. The edges of the notches definea polygonal figure providing enough bearing edges to restrain the pilotfrom lateral motion throughout an arc of 180 about the axis of thepilot.

It is advantageous to employ a pilot having a rectangul lar crosssectionwith rounded corners but in any case the notch is proportioned tocircumscribe three side surfaces of the pilot and to providepilot-engaging edges above, below and to one side of the pilot. Thenotch is sufiiciently deep to havethe fourth side of a pilot travelalong the front of a reed or other comb-like structure when the guidesare in position to receive the pilot. I preferably provide a rectilinearnotch having an upper edge 29 and a lower edge 30 and a connecting edge31 so that when the guides are mounted on a rocker shaft 32,

the corresponding edges of the several guides can easily of the guidesenables the shortening of the stroke of the engage keyways in theguides, but they can 'be fastened the guides confines a pilot as in atunnel as the pilot is shot across the loom.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide means for mounting aplurality of plate-like guides in spaced relation and in such a mannerthat the notches in the guides can easily be qualified to assure thatthe guiding edges are aligne Another object is to provide pilot guidesand mechanism for rocking the pilot guides through the warps to aposition for guiding a pilot or other filling threadcarrying device andfor returning the pilot guides to below the temples as the lay isreciprocated during a weaving operation.

The principle of the invention will be easily understood from a moredetailed description of an embodiment thereof which is intended to serveas an illustration of its application.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan of one end of a lay assembly of whichthe other end is similarly constructed; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, the lay 10 is mounted upon and extends betweenthe lay swords 11 which are mounted on a pivot shaft 12. The lay swordsillustrated of the trunnions, Fig. 1.

in any manner as by welding. The guides are separated from one anotherby spacers, such as the sleeves 33 on the shaft 32, and occasionallyalong the shaft by a trunnion 34 for the shaft and washers 35 and 36 atthe sides The ends of the spacers are square to the axis of the shaftand so maintain the guides parallel to one another. The trunnions 34 and37 are carried by brackets which are supported from and extendrearwardly from the lay 10. a

As the lay is reciprocated backwardly and forwardly, the shaft 32 isrocked on its axis to swing the guides be-.

tween a position below the temples 14 and a position in which thenotches 27 of the guides are disposed in front of the reed, as shown inbroken lines in Fig. 2. This is accomplished by a cam motion. A camplate 38 is pivoted on a pin 39 which extends from a block 40 bolted tothe lay sword 11. The cam has a cam groove connecting between andincluding a high are portion 41 and a low arc portion 42. The shaft 32carries an arm 43 rigidly attached thereto and which has a cam followeror roller 44 at its outer end. The cam follower is engaged in the grooveof the cam 38, and as the cam is pivoted on the pin 39 it rocks theshaft 32 in its trunnions.

A link 45 is pivotally connected to the cam 38 by a pin 46 and to astationary pivot pin 47. As the lay assembly is moved backward from theposition illustrated in Fig. 2, the cam 38 is rocked clockwise and thearm 43 rocks the shaft 32 and guides clockwise from below the temples14.

During the initial backward movement of the lay assembly the pilotguides remain below the temples as the follower travels along the highare portion 41 and until the follower has started to move inwardlytowards the low arc portion 42 of the cam. As the follower continues tomove toward the low arc portion 42, the guides enter the shed andapproach towards the reed. When the follower is guided by the low arcportion 42, ;the guides are disposed with the open ends of their notchesfacing the reed, as illustrated in broken lines in Fig. 2. In thisposition of the guides the pilot is restrained by the guides and thereed from wobbling in any direction as it is shot through thetunnel-like structure provided by the edges of the notches and the frontof the reed. On the forward movement of the lay, the action of the cam38 and the rotation of the shaft 32 are reversed and the guides 13 arebrought below the temples. It is intended that if a comb is employed infront of a reed that the comb provide the rear guiding plane for thepilot and in that respect serve in the same manner as the reed 15 eventhough it does not extend to the full height of the notches 27.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applicationswithout departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It istherefore intended and desired that the specific description herein bedeemed illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall coverall patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to thefollowing claims rather than to the particular showing herein ,toindicate the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a loom, a pivoted assembly reciprocable between back and frontpositions and comprising a lay, lay swords and a comb-like device forbeating up a filling thread, a rock shaft pivotally mounted on saidassembly, pilot guides fixed to said rock shaft and movable thereby torock about the axis of said rock shaft, means for reciprocating saidassembly, and means to control the rocking of said rock shaft and guidesas said assembly is reciprocated between back and front positions.

2. In a loom, a pivoted assembly reciprocable between back andfrontpositions and comprising a lay, lay swords and a comb-like device forbeating up a filling thread, a rock shaft pivotally mounted on saidassembly, a plurality of pilot guides spaced apart and fastened to saidrock shaft, said pilot guides having aligned notches opening toward andback of the loom, means for rocking said shaft to position said notchesin a shed as said assembly moves backwardly and to lower said guidesbelow the cloth being woven as said assembly moves forwardly,

and means to reciprocate said assembly backwardly and forwardly.

3. In a loom, a pivoted assembly reciprocable between back and frontpositions and comprising a lay, lay swords and a comb-like device forbeating up a filling thread, a rock shaft pivotally mounted on saidassembly, a plurality of pilot guides spaced apart and fastened to saidrock shaft, said pilot guides having notches opening towards the back ofthe loom and having aligned edges to guide three sides of the pilot,means for rocking said shaft in one direction to position said notchesadjacent said comblike device to complete a pilot-guiding tunnel withsaid device and away from said device in 'the opposite direction, andmeans to reciprocate said assembly.

4. In a loom, a pivoted assembly comprising a lay, lay swords and acomb-like device for beating up a filling thread, a shaft pivotallymounted on said assembly, a plurality of pilot-guides fastened to saidshaft in spaced relationship, means for reciprocating said assembly, and

means for rocking said shaft as said assembly is reciprocated, saidshaft-rocking means comprising an arm fastened to said shaft, a campivotally mounted on said assembly, a cam follower carried by said arm,and means pivotally connected to said cam to pivot said cam in respectto said assembly as said assembly is reciprocated.

5. In a loom, a pivoted assembly comprising a lay, lay swords and acomb-like-device for beating up a filling thread, a shaft pivotallymounted on said assembly, a plurality of pilot-guides fastened to saidshaft in spaced relationship, each of said guides having a notch openingtoward the back of the loom, the notches of said guides having edges toprevent a pilot disposed in said notches from moving laterally in anydirection within an arc of 180 about the longitudinal axis of the pilot,means for reciprocating said assembly, and means for rocking said shaftand guides to position the openings of said notches adjacent to saidcomb-like device so that said device and said notches may guide theflight of a pilot lengthwise of said law.

6. In a loom, a lay and lay swords, means for pivotally supporting saidlay swords for backward and forward reciprocation, .a rock shaft, guidemeans for guiding a pilot lengthwise of said lay, said guide meanscomprising a reed carried by said lay and a plurality of notch beingdefined in part by parallel upper and lower edges intersecting the rearedge of the plate and spaced apart a distance slightly greater than thevertical dimension of said pilot and an edge normal to said paralleledges and spaced from said rear edge a distance less than the horizontaldimension of said pilot, means for actuating said rock shaft and guidesto and from a position in which the rear edges of said plates areadjacent said reed and said notches are disposed with their open sidesfacing said reed so that said reed prevents lateral displacement of saidpilot from said notches as said pilot is pro jected through saidnotches, and means for reciprocating said assembly.

References Cited in the file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

